Once Upon a Time in the Terminus
by snowyplover
Summary: Surviving a heroic sacrifice is something Shepard never planned to do. So she becomes someone else: a Terminus Ranger, dedicated to cleaning out the "wild west" of the Galaxy. Post ME3, destroy with Shepard's survival and a large time jump. Shenko.
1. Chapter 1

"The paths are open. But you have to choose."

She was dying. The voice of the catalyst, distorted as if heard through water, confirmed this thought. Through the murk that was her mind, she felt a distant anger at being forced to make such a decision in this state.

She needed her crew. Liara and EDI would have helpful information. Garrus… Garrus was dead. The Reaper beam disintegrated him during Hammer. She didn't know where he would stand on the issue, but he would be at her side whatever she chose. Kaidan would determine the most morally sound course of action. Even now, between the end of the Reapers and the ending of the woman he loved, he would encourage the ideal…

There was no time to think. Her feet moved forward, right towards the red column. She never expected to survive this war. Her death would be a small sacrifice if the damn Reapers died with her.

She felt a pang in her gut for EDI and the Geth. Deciding to sacrifice herself was one thing, but deciding for someone else was unacceptable. She was about to commit genocide. At least she would be dead for the fallout.

Or maybe that pang was just her wound. Her side was split open, and her life was draining out.

Holding the pistol in a mockery of military poise, she fired into the control panel. Once, twice, then everything went red, and then white. Her thoughts flew.

Funny, she thought. Last time I died it was cold. And I'm so warm…


	2. Chapter 2

One year later

This wing of the hospital was quiet this late at night, except for the beeps of the life support machines. Here long-term, comatose patients were housed. The nurse enjoyed the relative peace. These wounded soldiers did not expect anything - unlike the outpatients she worked with who seemed to be searching for their Florence Nightingale. Ever since the end of the war everyone just wanted to get married and have babies... The nurse stopped for a second, and stared at her favorite enigma of a patient.

This soldier was found in the rubble of London, heavily wounded and wearing armor so abused no information could be gleaned from it. Everyone assumed she was with the Alliance, or possibly a freelance. With the biometrics system in shambles it was still impossible to find any next-of-kin for the woman. Records destroyed during the war were beyond retrieval.

As time passed, most of the soldiers from the Reaper War either recovered or died. But this one hung on, in between. The nurse supposed the woman was simply too stubborn to die.

But tonight something was different. Scans showed activity in several new areas of the patient's brain. She was waking up!

"I'm gonna need a doctor in here."

* * *

A woman's face swam into focus. Shepard blinked again, trying to move her legs and finding she could not. A sense of Déjà vu overtook her, along with a sense of anger.

"What is it this time? Galactic boogeymen who like the taste of human children? Organized armies of thresher maws armed with Cains? Why else would you bother bringing me back?"

At least that was what she tried to say. What the nurse heard was tangled grunts mixed with expletives.

"You need to calm down, honey. You are in a hospital in Los Angeles. You have been comatose for over a year, since the end of the Reaper War." The nurse used a smile Shepard assumed worked to calm most of her patients. She glared back, her eyes like a green natural disaster.

A doctor arrived. "We have not had any luck identifying you, can you please give me your name? And if you have anyone to call, I am sure they would be overjoyed to hear from you. I'm sure everyone thinks that you are dead!"

She was supposed to be dead. That sick Reaper child had lied. He said she would be dead! "The Reapers? They're gone?"

"Yes!" The nurse smiled. "The great hero Commander Shepard died activating the Crucible, but her sacrifice was not in vain. All of the Reapers, and also the Geth died in the explosion. We are in the process of repairing the…"

"Nurse, the patient does not need to hear the state of the galaxy. Please give me your name."

So she was a heroic sacrifice. Would anyone think she was a hero knowing she was the greatest mass murder alive, since destroying the Geth was complete genocide?

Some heroes are supposed to be sacrificed. Usually the enemy they fight is too powerful to survive. But even more so its because the mess they create in finishing the enemy is too large to clean up.

Apparently she was now a model of greatness, for the rest of the galaxy to aspire to in these rough, post reaper times. A message of steadfastness in the face of difficulty. Shame she was about to ruin it… But what if she didn't? Even Commander Shepard could not come back from the dead twice, she decided. All heroes need their rest.

"It's Nash. Uhh…" Her eyes fell on a vase of flowers across the ward from her. "Rose Nash."


	3. Chapter 3

Twenty-four Years Later

The settlement was so far on the edge of known space that it was near falling off. Its commercial district featured two bars, one of which was actually a brothel, a mechanic's shop, a spaceport, and a Volus run bank. The townsfolk displayed good sense and hid inside of their houses at the sight of her.

Nash smiled. It was nice to know some intelligence existed still in the Terminus. Her suede duster billowed in the breeze, making the gold badge on her breast flash in the greenish sunlight. The white and red streaked braid snaking beneath her wide brimmed hat was the only source of color in the drab town.

She entered the first building and removed her hat on entry. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light of the prefab unit, the bar emptied around her. All that remained was she, the Turian bartender, and her quarry.

Her boots clanged against the steel floor as she walked up to the bar. "Ryncol, for my friend and I." She sat down next to the man, enjoying his visible shiver of discomfort.

The man sipped the alcohol before he spoke. "So you finally caught up with me, Ranger. It's been quite a chase. Can I at last learn the name of my pursuer?"

"Captain Rose Nash. I'd shake your hand, but then I'd have to wash it. In bleach."

"Nash? I've heard stories about you… our equivalent to ghost stories. I heard you once took out a Krogan battlemaster with a toothpick. I also heard you were Krogan."

"Could be. Or it could be no criminal has ever gotten close enough to see my face and live." She fingered her drink. "I'm about done talking with you, murdering scum. You really think you could sell that many slaves and get away with it?"

"Obviously, yes. Well, go ahead. Read me my rights, I won't resist arrest or nothing."

Nash smiled. It was the same sort of smile a shark gives to a fat guppy. "You forget yourself. That crime was committed on Horizon, in the Terminus Union. And we take care of our criminals out here…"

She took a second to down her drink. As she lifted the glass to her mouth with her right hand, the man reached under his coat. She chucked the now empty glass in his face and simultaneously shot him with a pistol from her left hand.

Her aim was perfect, as always.

She looked at the bartender, and then fiddled with her omni tool for a few seconds. "I paid to close my tab. I would offer to pay for the mess, but the Union can't afford for a biohazard team to come all the way out here from Omega. Sorry about that." She stalked outside.

About a mile from the settlement, Nash contacted her pilot on her ship, the _Safe Harbor. _"I'm ready for pickup."

"Did you catch the bastard?"

"Lets just say I improved the human gene pool a bit today…"


	4. Chapter 4

It was a simple mission: enter the scientific base, shut down its operations, and remove all data for Union analysts to examine.

In Nash's experience, the most straightforward missions were the ones most likely to get FUBAR. In this case she was correct.

It began when Engineer Jane Murphy, Nash's newest crewmember, attempted to join the ground crew during their pre-mission brief in the ship's cargo hold/crew lounge.

"This should be a normal mop-up, but remember nobody is leaving that base unless they have on restrainer cuffs or they are in a body bag. Also be ready for anything. I have an instinct things won't go as smoothly as we expect." Nash finished.

"When does it ever, Captain?" Said her First Mate Sidonus. The Turian was past his prime, but his loyalty to Nash and her cause kept him fighting despite his age.

Nash ignored him. "Murphy, are you planning on decorating that wall or do you have something to say?" She waved a hand at her Engineer, who seemed torn between hiding behind a fallen piece of tarp and moving forward.

"Um Captain, ma'am, I am going to accompany you on this mission. Scans suggest the presence of mechs and I am the most qualified to… to…"

"To what? Examine their motor functions?" Nash grimaced. "You'll have to do better than that, Engineer."

"I can take care of myself out there. I'll be an asset."

"If I thought we would face Mindoir toothless varren out there then you would be able to take care of yourself. What we will find is much worse," said the second member of the ground crew, an Asari named Tinea.

Murphy flushed to the roots of her brown hair. Her freckles faded into the blush. "I want to fight."

Nash sighed. She had known this was coming… "Engineer. You are on this ship for one reason: to keep the piece of shit flying. If you get your face shot off on some unnamed world trying to play space adventurer then I would have to hire a new engineer. Here you are an asset. Out there you are a liability. I do not need liabilities in a firefight. Understood?"

"Ma'am. Yes ma'am."

"Better. Sidonus, Tinea - suit up. We're going to take this mission as quickly as we can. Tiny?" She addressed the helmsman through a comm link.

_"Yes Captain?"_

"Take us down."

* * *

Atlas mechs, developed by Cerberus during the war, were all decommissioned in a desert somewhere. They were supposed to be in Arizona, becoming homes for endangered beetles.

They were not supposed to be out here, in an under-the-radar scientific base in the Terminus, bearing down on Nash. What kind of scientists had military grade mechs and weapons, anyway?

She knew the type: mad scientists. She looked to her crew. The Asari was pinned behind cover. Sidonus was several feet behind her, out of the Atlas' line of fire.

"Sidonus! Distract him!" She shouted over the bullets. The ground shook beneath her feet. In a few seconds, she would be fired upon from over her cover.

"What? How?"

"I don't know! Flash some ankle of something!"

His distraction involved a proximity mine instead of an ankle. As the Atlas turned slightly to visualize the threat, Nash leaped out of cover and punched through the bulletproof canopy.

"Ah, the joys of being slightly synthetic!" Said Nash.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Just things are looking up. Cover me while I finish cleansing this place." She climbed into the vacant Atlas.

Cleaning up was much easier with the proper tools.

* * *

The scientists were not in the main laboratory. Their absence made the place feel haunted. The echoes of footsteps on the metal floor sounded like thunder. There were empty holding cells, stained examination tables, banks of instruments, and a Tupari vending machine.

They all stared the out-of-place fixture for a second. "Maybe evil scientists get thirsty a lot…" offered Tinea.

"Well I'm pretty thirsty. Do you think it still works?" Nash started randomly pushing buttons.

"Is that a good idea?"

She walked back over with a canned drink in hand. "Look! They even have tupo-berry." She sipped on it. "Nobody else wants one? No? Then move out."

"Wait a sec, Captain. I think you need to see this."

Sidonus stood in front of a hacked-open cell. The missing scientists were inside, dead from a case of bullet to the head.

"Crap. Looks like they were executed once we began our assault. Whatever they were working on must be big. We have to move to catch who did this…"

* * *

They arrived in the hanger just before the shuttle took off. A man dove into the ship headfirst approximately 30 yards in front of the three. None of them had a clear shot, though all three fired.

Nash continued to fire, her revolver's bullets striking against the armored plating of the shuttle uselessly until it was out of sight. She then kicked the empty soda can with her boot.

"He got away. Tiny?"

_"No signs of him. Must have one of those fancy cloaking devices."_

"Meet us in front of the base in ten."

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. That shot was impossible," said Sidonus.

"Not quite. I tagged him with a fired tracker beacon in the ankle." She smiled. "And his ship. He's lit up like a white trash Christmas on our sensors."

"That was clever," said Tinea.

"A trick I learned from a friend of mine. Still, we failed our mission. Any ideas why?"

"We should have moved faster," Sidonus said. He looked down at the crushed soda can.

"Noted. Also maybe I'm slowing down in my old age."

"But you aren't old, Captain!"

"Human, Tinea. Not Asari. Do you have any mission related comments?"

"No…"

"Ok. Lets head back to that lab, clean out those computers, and pick up a Tupari for the road."


	5. Chapter 5

Twenty-five years is a long time in a galaxy. Fashions shift and power structures fall. Some things don't change, including reverence for a dead hero. That remained, though the legend of Commander Shepard was not enough to hold together the feebly allied shreds of civilization left over after the Reaper War.

The image of the all-powerful Citadel Council died with the Reapers. In the postwar power vacuum, a coalition of human settlements came together in a bond of self-reliance, self-determination, and liberty from Alliance and Council interference. The Terminus Union was born.

Despite its human-centric views, non-human refugees immigrating from war torn worlds flooded the Terminus searching for opportunity and work. Shantytowns sprung up around resources and on garden worlds. The Union underwent a rapid ideological shift, eventually becoming a haven for all types who neither liked nor trusted the Council.

However a mixture of adventurous survivors didn't make for a particularly safe place. The new settlements were places of great opportunity and great danger.

The Terminus Rangers were established to protect the fledgling Union colonies. The intent was not to police the Union, but to prevent it from descending into total anarchy. Each Ranger operated like a one man-army: trained to operate without direct orders or even support from the Union high command. Their ranks were small but elite.

The rules were simple: do right, and stay the hell out of Citadel space.

Nash and her small crew flew around the Terminus, pursuing criminals and defending the civilians in the Terminus. At least, that was the idea. It still left a lot of time in between systems where Nash became bored.

Like right now. In what passed for the crew lounge, but was really the cargo hold with plastic chairs bolted on the floor, a live screen played Citadel Council transmitted media. Murphy, Sidonis, and Tinea watched the screen as Nash cleaned her revolver.

The woman on the screen was old for a reporter, but her celluloid features gave a facsimile of youth through surgery. "This is Diana Alenko for Citadel News Network. Today is the 25th anniversary of the end of the Reaper War. Human councilor Oriana Lawson says while we must never forget the destruction of the war, that we must remember the sacrifice of Commander Shepard and follow the Council's leadership, which Shepard always respected…. "

Without looking up Nash said, "turn it off. I've reached my bullshit level for the day. We need to brief our next assignment. We're going to Illium. Our target is probably going to hitch transport somewhere untraceable from there, and we can't count on that tracer bead staying on after his first shower. He has a few hours on us, so we have to be fast."

"Can we operate there? Isn't it Citadel space?" Said Sidonus.

"Illium enjoys being in between the Terminus and Citadel politically. Makes a decent profit that way. So yes we can operate, so long as we keep our noses clean," said Tinea. Tinea was possibly the most ugly Asari in the Terminus. Her features were mismatched, with a nose too large and a mouth too small for her face. She also battled psoriasis. A matron, Tinea desperately wanted children but could find no one to bond.

She still preformed adequately as the ship's biotics specialist. She had some talent, but was nowhere near skill level of Samara or Jack.

Nash pushed that thought away. "I've found that Illium is just as dangerous as Omega. It's just shinier. So Murphy, you don't leave the ship unless someone accompanies you."

"Yes ma'am."

"Also I've purchased an upgrade. We're getting our own Tupari vending machine here in the crew lounge. Try to contain your excitement."

"How can we afford that?" Said Sidonus.

Nash tapped het foot with irritation. "Corporate sponsorship. Alliance ships get vendors on board all the time, so I just implied we were Alliance. The package should be delivered once we reach Illium."

* * *

For the first time in his career since the Reaper War, Spectre Kaidan Alenko felt too old for his job. Chasing another man around empty Nos Astra alleyways on foot in full combat armor was not easy at age 60, especially with no backup. If Shepard was here, she would shoot the runner in the kneecap with her Widow. The man in front of him was younger, and not armored. Well at least there was always biotics…

The pull hit the perp square in the back. He fell over, landing flat. Alenko trained his pistol on the prone form.

"You are not under arrest, but are being held for questioning under Spectre authority." He reached into his belt for a pair of handcuffs, and knelt to attach them.

"No cuffs! I'll tell you anything you want!"

Suddenly a shot rang out. A blotch of red bloomed on the perp's shirt. Alenko leapt up on guard, looking for the shooter. Oh… shit.

A group of men blocked the exit. The shooter had a sniper rifle out aimed at Alenko's head. A quick glance behind showed what he already knew: he was surrounded and there was no escape.

"Looks like your number is finally up." Spoke the shooter in a clipped, Earth-British accent. "I get to tell my future grandchildren about killing the second human Spectre."

At least Alenko would go out fighting. He gripped his pistol with one hand and readied a lift with the other.

Several things happened at once. Before the shooter could react to Alenko's aggression, a pane of glass shattered on his head. The glass was followed an Asari preforming a textbook biotic landing from several stories above. Her singularity confused the ranks of gang members. In the shuffle, Alenko released his lift, and everyone on the field floated incapacitated.

The Asari gave a signal and two more figures dropped from above into the safety of her biotic lift. The first was a geriatric Turian with a very welcome heavy assault rifle. The second was a ghost.


	6. Chapter 6

Crap. Nash hated this mission from the start. It stank worse than a walk of shame on Omega. Hell, it stank worse than a night of shame on Omega for that matter. But seeing Kaidan made her realize how fast time was passing.

Some men age and get beer bellies, or go bald on their heads and gain more hair everywhere else. And some men age like fine wine. Kaidan- Spectre Alenko- was most definitely the second case. His head was fully grey, but his hair had not thinned. The new lines on his face attested to his new experiences. And he sill looked good in combat armor.

Nash knew her hair was more grey than red anymore and her eyes had permanent bags beneath. And she was senile, getting distracted in a firefight. Her trigger finger was not distracted thankfully.

Though there was no cover in the alley, but with Kaidan and Tinea holding barriers, Nash and Sidonus made short work of the remaining gangsters. She used her repeater and he used his modified assault rifle.

"Grab the unconscious one who got the mouthful of glass and take him back to the ship. Scans say he's our man. I'll meet you there." Nash ordered.

Sidonus picked up the man, and but Tinea looked unsure. "Don't you need our support, Captain?"

"Double time it. The Illium legal system is impacted and the Union won't front the money for bail - or bribes." They left, and Nash finally faced Kaidan.

He spoke first. "Commander Shepard. Who brought you back this time? I don't think galactic affairs are so bad as to necessitate your resurrection…" He smiled. The two moved as if by accord away from the mess they had just created.

He was distinguished-looking. That was the word she had been reaching for earlier. "Spectre Alenko, I believe we are investigating the same case." She glanced around, keying something into her omni tool. They were back on the main walkway, far enough away from the crime scene. She released a neural shock.

Kaidan staggered, and then fell.

Nash bent down next to his ear. "I was never here. No one will believe you if you tell them. And you better not follow me."

* * *

Kaidan awoke. He wasn't behind bars, but the situation wasn't much better. He faced a brightly pigmented Asari in a police uniform.

"Spectre Alenko. It's odd for you to be on Illium, near an especially bloody crime scene, with no backup. Where is the Normandy? And your crew?"

"Uh. I'm sorry, I need a minute to place myself…" Where the hell was Shepard? Was that woman Shepard at all?

Kaidan kept a mental snapshot of Shepard. It was something he left forgotten only to call it up in the quiet moments before bullets started to fly. It was from a happy memory: she was laughing from something he just said, with her head thrown back. Her hair blew in a phantom breeze. Everything Shepard ever did was with all her effort - including her laughter. Even in that moment of levity she was ready for war in full battle armor and equipped with four guns.

In his memory, she was untouched by time.

"I'm Commissioner Anaya. You are on Illium, making a mess in my district. I hate messes. You better have a good reason for this…" She crossed her arms.

"Look, I'm here on top secret Spectre business. I came incognito, so the Normandy had to stay behind. And I need your help."

"Let me guess - the sooner I help you, the sooner you leave my district," said the Asari.

"Exactly." Kaidan thought for a moment. "I need to ground every ship in Nos Astra. I'm looking for a Union Ranger, but if she gets off planet the trail goes cold."

"I don't exactly have the authority to do that, Spectre."

"No, you have to be clever. Say that there are unsafe solar patterns occurring or something. It doesn't have to continue for very long. I need a few hours at most to collect some information. Can I use your QEC?"

"You're lucky we have one at all. One of my assistants will help you." The Asari frowned.

"Thank you, Commissioner."

"I'm not going to say 'you're welcome,' because I don't like Spectres in general. Things go to sideways to hell when you types show up. Don't take it personally, but if I see you around here again I'm booking you. But never mind that. I just had a thought."

"What is it?"

"It seems suspicious that a particularly famous Spectre such as yourself is sent on an _undercover_ mission. Without support, on a non-council world. Don't you agree?"

* * *

Nash flew up the ladder from the cargo hold to the bridge. "Tiny, get us out of here. I've got some heat."

"Bit of a problem with that," said the pilot. He turned around. His obese form overflowed out of the chair. Tiny was a former Alliance pilot kicked out of the service for extreme, rapid weight gain. He blamed a bad metabolism, but Nash knew his discharge was timed almost perfectly with a new Alliance policy preventing pilots from having extranet access at the helm controls.

She saw him kick an extra large bag of cheese puffs under the helm console. Maybe it was just his metabolism. "Murphy is ashore. Actually Murphy sneaked ashore and I had the ship track her movements." He winced. The crew never liked giving bad news to Nash. She tended to break things.

Happy thoughts. Harbinger, on fire, falling into a black hole. "Shit." That was restrained enough. "I can't leave that naïve puppy here alone. Ready everything, we'll leave the second I toss her sorry ass into the cargo hold. Tell Tinea and Sidonus to keep our prisoner under lock."

"Aye."

* * *

"Ok Kaidan, I'm running a search algorithm on the training statistics of the Terminus Rangers. The records are surprisingly well encrypted… Can I ask why I'm doing this?" Out of all the old crew Liara had changed the least. She was always willing to toss some information to an old crewmate when he asked. Having a friend as the Shadow Broker had its benefits.

"Spectre business. Sorry Liara, you'll have to figure it out when you hack my mission reports."

"Kaidan. You seem troubled. Can I do anything? I haven't seen you in seven years now, since your divorce!"

He ran a hand over his face. "I just... get me that information. I'll come visit when this mission is up."

The Asari smiled. "Ok, judging by the data the best shot out of the Union Rangers is a Captain Rose Nash. Active duty since 2191…"

"Do you have anything else? Bioinformatics, or the name of her flagship?"

"Sorry Kaidan, I was distracted. These records are very impressive. It appears she operates out of a small freighter called the _Safe Harbor._ I'm uploading the relevant information to your omni tool... Oh."

"What is it?"

"I found a picture of her, Kaidan."

"Liara…"

"Look, if I find anything else useful I will send it to you. Go and catch her, ok?"


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Sorry for the late update, my computer died when I spilled diet coke on the keyboard. Luckly my hard drive wasn't destroyed... Also, thank you to everyone who has left reviews! I appreciate the feedback!_

Nash found Murphy quickly. The girl was in a bar with a pink fishbowl drink, surrounded by Asari. She was lit. She drooped on the shoulder of the Asari to her left, and she was smiling like an idiot.

Nash walked to the booth. "Murphy, you're about to get Shanghaied. Unless you want to be trapped in a science lab on Noveria for the next five years, I suggest you leave these harpies to their drinks." The engineer looked up in blurry confusion, while the four Asari looked up in anger.

The most well dressed Asari spoke. Nash shuddered at the exposed swath of blue cleavage. Fashions may change, but the Asari refused to wear anything that wasn't tight, bright, and booby. "I believe you will find nothing illegal has occurred here."

"I wasn't implying that it had. Murphy, did you sign anything?"

"Captain! Captain, my new friends wanted to hear all about that dark matter engine prototype I told you about. Aren't they nice? You should have a drink. On me. Everyone should! Another round please, barkeep!"

Nash had enough. She stuck her hand through her belt loop, moving her duster enough to flash her revolver. "Did she sign your damn indentured servitude slave papers, you blue harlot? "

"Not yet." The Asari looked like Nash had just deprived her of a prize-winning varren. "The amount she owes for all the drinks she's been buying is quite large. She has treated the whole bar three times already. She will probably have to sign so we can pay for her in exchange."

"Well isn't it sure nice you decided to pick up her tab. Now go away before I get any more angry."

Nash had to carry Murphy back to the ship, but felt somewhat happier after making good on her earlier promise. Tossing the engineer into the cargo hold ass-first was hugely satisfying.

"Tiny, we're all aboard. Please get me off this polished piece of shit the Asari are passing as a planet."

_"No can do, captain. I think the heat caught up... We've got enough AA cannons lined on our position that even the cockroaches that live in the hold will get toasted if I try and leave_."

"Of course there are. Thank you, Murphy's Law. I'm going to get a drink. Send him along to me when he comes."

_"Who are we expecting?"_

"Just send him, Tiny."

* * *

Man could build new mass relays and colonize the distant stars. Man could create works of art so enigmatic that they are reflected upon centuries later. But mankind would never surpass what Nash believed to be its greatest accomplishment: distilling fine Irish whiskey.

Nash did not know if she was Irish, despite her red hair, but she imagined her forefathers looking on with pride from heaven as she uncorked her second bottle. She imagined they were drinking with her; if there was no whiskey in heaven, who would bother staying?

She was lucky this bar, the closest thing to a dive on Illium, carried such fine booze. It was beautifully grimy and empty. The bar top had obviously not been wiped down in weeks. Nash sat in a corner booth, her back to a wall and her eyes on the entrance. As she sipped the bottle, the whiskey melted into her tongue and warmed her stomach.

The glass fell onto the floor somehow. Nash expected it had jumped off. But glasses don't have legs usually…

"Shepard." Kaidan had arrived. Nash stood up and realized she was utterly drunk. She sat back down.

"Not Shepard, remember? She's too busy being space Jesus, fighting Reapers with hugs. And candy."

"Are you drunk?" His silver eyebrows came together when he frowned. It was distracting.

"Not enough. Want some?" She held out the bottle, then cradled it. "Get your own glass, this one's mine."

"I need answers. Where have you been for 25 years? Or did you die, and get resurrected again?"

"I didn't die, Shepard did. Sort of. See, the catalyst was a huge liar. He said I would die too. But then I didn't, and the Geth and EDI did anyway and then Joker killed himself and…" She broke off and swigged from the bottle.

"So you're saying you didn't die when the catalyst fired?"

"No. I went comatose for a while, then when I woke up Shepard was becoming a canonized saint of the Council. So I got a new name. I was going to contact you but then you married BATTLETITS." This bottle was almost empty too. The bottles were always empty, it seemed. She smiled. This could be a new philosophy- the empty bottles of life.

Dimly Nash wondered if she should get scotch next. Maybe Kaidan would have some.

Oh right, Kaidan. He sat with his head down on the table. "I'm so, so sorry Shepard. I should have waited longer. But you were _dead_."

"Allers, Kaidan. Out of everyone? Liara I could have undershtood. I still would have wanted to tear her eyesh out with my fingernails…." Nash felt sleepy all of a sudden. She yawned. "Ima take a quick nap. See you booboo."

* * *

Kaidan watched as her head dropped onto the table. She still managed a deathgrip on the empty bottle of whiskey.

Asleep she looked softer. Her semi-permanent frown disappeared, smoothing away into slackness. She had aged, but remarkably well considering her difficult life. Kaidan found it much preferable to the zombie youth face Allers had bought after their divorce.

Shepard made a noise like a faulty engine. Kaidan laughed. She hadn't used to snore…


	8. Chapter 8

Nash was awoken by a pounding headache, somewhere beneath her forehead. She suspected a crew of miniature Krogan were head-butting the inside of her cranium. Then she noticed that she was not in her bed. Creaking one of her eyes open, narrowly as to avoid contact with light, she assessed her surroundings.

She was in a hammock in the crew quarters/med bay of the _Safe Harbor. _She snapped her eye shut. That brief assessment had confirmed what she suspected- Spectre Kaidan Alenko sat in the hammock across from her, watching and waiting. So their meeting yesterday hadn't been a whiskey-fueled vision.

"Shepard?" She groaned. The light had intensified her migraine. Or maybe that was just Alenko's voice.

She swallowed. Her throat was dry and tasted like whiskey. "Why is there an intruder on my ship?"

The ship's VI came out of a speaker by her ear, emotionless as always. "At approximately 2300 Nos Astra time last night, Spectre Alenko carried you onto the ship. You gave a voice command allowing him aboard."

"Rescind that command. Spectre Alenko, will you please leave my ship before I toss you out of an airlock?" She needed a hangover cure, stat. "I need Tinea down here."

Kaidan smiled at her. He had to know the impact his smile still had on her! Bastard. "You do realize that you are grounded on Illium until I give the word? If you ever want to leave I need you to work with me. Where did you stash that man you captured? He's my only lead now. I'm looking into a series of disappearances on Alliance colonies."

"If we are working together, we do it my way. My ship, my rules. I am Captain Nash. I will be treated with respect. This is not a council ship, so I don't have to defer to you, Spectre."

His eyes narrowed. She glared back. What had she said last night? Had she mentioned Allers?

The contest was broken when Tinea climbed up the ladder from the crew lounge. "Captain?"

"Hangover cure. You know the drill." The Asari busied herself, filling an IV bag and prepping a syringe full of strong painkillers. It was already mid-afternoon, and Nash hated wasting time.

"Wow _Nash_, do you make a habit of drinking to excess?" Alenko looked bitter as he spat her name.

"Its Captain Nash, Spectre. And I don't, only when forced to by extreme circumstances." She decided not to mention her hip flask at this moment. "Where is our prisoner?"

Tinea blushed. Asari blush purple, so this was spectacularly obvious to the two humans. "Umm your quarters are the only ones that lock, so…"

"If he got into my underwear drawer I will personally dismember him."

"We have locked him out of everything, Captain." The Asari halted. She looked very pathetic all of a sudden.

"What is it?"

"Well Sidonis and I haven't had shore leave in a month and since we are still on Illium I was hoping you would let us leave the ship for the evening and maybe get a drink and more or something… Captain. Please."

"Does Sidonis want time off?"

"I just need to convince him…"

"All right. Fine. Be back by 0700 tomorrow. Alenko and I will interrogate the prisoner. And Murphy stays on the ship."

"Yes Ma'am!" The Asari looked so happy, it would have taken a heart of stone for Nash to refuse.

Of course, Nash was infamous for her heart of stone. Damn it, she was getting soft.

* * *

Kaidan was eager to begin questioning the prisoner, but Nash first insisted on slipping down to the cargo hold to inspect her new vending machine.

He couldn't tell why she was so excited about it. There were versions of this vending machine on every busy corner in Citadel space.

"You never used to drink Tupari," he said.

"I didn't, its sort of a new development."

"I still have a lot of questions that need answers."

"Not now, and definitely not here." She gestured to the walls. "You never know who is listening."

Nash's quarters were more office than living space. There were no built in-fish tanks, space hamsters, or model ships to indicate the underlying humanity of the woman. The walls were bare metal and the desk was cleared of everything but an extranet interface console. Only the narrow bed, and a wall hook for her rather ridiculous coat, indicated that a person lived in this room.

Kaidan also noted there was not a picture of him on her desk this time around.

The prisoner gave the appearance of lounging on the bed. The man was nondescript. He had brown hair and eyes, the beginning of a beard, and a curiously blank expression. Kaidan doubted it would be possible to pick the man out in a criminal lineup.

Nash spoke first. "I'm going to start by saying none of the three of us are stupid. So you can stop pretending you aren't about to piss yourself. I assume you know who we are and exactly what we are capable of."

"Captain Nash, Terminus Ranger, infamous among those on the wrong side of the law. A glorified vigilante. And Spectre Alenko, a war hero past his prime." The prisoner smiled. "Yes, I would be an idiot not to be afraid right now."

"And are you an idiot?"

"No, Ranger. But you two have no idea what you are tangling with. It would be better for your health if you let it go."

"This is Kaidan Alenko. He fought _Reapers_. You think he can't handle anything?"

"That was 25 years ago."

Kaidan was sick of them talking like he wasn't present. "Prisoner…" He began.

"Its Craig Henderson."

"Mr. Henderson, I am investigating disappearances on council worlds. About 200 people have gone missing. My contact on Illium decided to run before I could ask any questions. He's the one you so helpfully shot when he decided to cooperate."

"That's what I do."

"Cute." Said Nash. She took a long sip of her Tupari. "I know your type. Fixers. You tie up loose ends before the law even reaches to investigate. People like me hate people like you. Why'd you shoot all those scientists in that lab? What are you covering up?"

"I'm afraid that's all you will get out of me, Captain."

Shepard always had a terrible poker face. She was the sort of woman who felt strong emotions and imposed them on her surroundings. Apparently Nash was no different. Her grip began to tighten on the empty Tupari can in her hand. Her eyes spat fire. Her voice was like ice. "I would rethink that, Henderson."


	9. Chapter 9

All in all, Nash thought she did a reasonably good job of keeping her temper during the interrogation. She had not pulled her gun once. She walked straight backed out of the room.

Alenko was shaking his head. "I forgot what that was like."

"What?"

"Watching you yell at someone until they give you what you want."

"He didn't give me what I want, though." Henderson was surprisingly strong willed. He admitted a link between the disappearances and the scientific base Nash had raided. He also admitted "Henderson" was not his real name.

Both of which Nash had assumed before the interrogation.

And now Alenko was looking at her, a puppy-like expression in his stupid eyes. "You are about to ask me a bunch of questions I don't want to answer," said Nash.

"Yep. And you have to answer them."

"Lets at least go somewhere nobody can eavesdrop on us…"

* * *

Nash liked high places. Given a 360-degree view of her surroundings, and enough elevation, she could hold out against enemy assault with only her repeating rifle for several hours.

Heights made her feel secure, usually. Unfortunately, Alenko's assault was not one she could hold off with a rifle. So conducting this interview on top of the highest condominium in Nos Astra was fairly irrational. At least the view was nice. Her vantage towered above both the clouds and the transit lanes. The red Illium sunset cast the silhouettes of skyscrapers across the rooftop.

"I'm scanning for listening devices. We're clear," said Alenko.

"Fire away, then."

"Why did you let us think you were dead? Why did you do that to me? I loved you! What sort of person does that to someone they love?"

"A bad person, Kaidan. A person who couldn't live with the decisions war pressed on her during peacetime."

"You saved all of us. You were a hero. What decisions are you talking about?"

"I led so many people to their deaths. Garrus, Ash, Thane, the Geth, and EDI. That wall on the Normandy is full. As Shepard, I would have become a walking war memorial. People would mistake me for a hero when the true heroes are the dead – the victorious dead."

He looked confused. "How are EDI and the Geth your fault?"

"_I chose it_. I was given a choice between three options by the Catalyst, and the one I selected killed of an entire race of beings. I'm practically an organic Reaper."

"What? That's not even close to being a Reaper…" Alenko appeared even more confused. His face was too damn honest sometimes. He could never hide a thing.

"I'm done talking about this," said Nash. "That's the reason I let Shepard die. I made my peace with that decision a long time ago."

"Fine. That doesn't explain why you let me, and everyone you called a friend, think you were dead."

"I didn't want everyone to know what a coward I am. I didn't plan on hiding from you, though. Not till I caught the televised wedding between you and Allers two weeks after I woke up from my coma."

"How was I supposed to know you weren't dead? Did you expect me to mourn my whole life?"

"No." Yes. Nash had thought they were counterparts. Meaning that if one went down, the other would stay unattached, and incomplete, like a machine missing an essential cog… "Well, you could have waited a little longer. When did you start sleeping with her? Was my hypothetical corpse even cold?"

"How dare you." He paced back and forth across the steel rooftop. "I died the day they gave up looking for survivors… for you. We were in deep space, using FTL travel to return the Normandy and crew to Earth. The QEC was functional, so communications to and from Earth worked… When Hackett told me they were calling off the search the first thing I wanted to do was punch him through the cosmos. The second thing I wanted to do was tear through the wreckage of the Citadel till I found you."

Nash sat herself crosswise on the skyscraper's environmental unit. "But instead you married Allers."

"It wasn't like that... I didn't behave properly, like an officer. One resource the ship had plenty of was alcohol. I tried to forget everything that night, and Diana _comforted_ me…"

She pushed down a gag. "Please spare me the details. Look, it really doesn't matter. Whatever happened, it happened so long ago it doesn't matter. We just have to be able to work together for a short period of time, and then we go back to mutual ignorance of the other. Deal?"

"I still think I owe you an explanation. Once Diana found out she was pregnant, well I thought I owed it to her to try and make it work..."

_"What? _You knocked up Battletits?"

"Please don't call her that. And yes, I have a son. Sam. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Nash was very jealous all of a sudden. Alenko got to finally have a family, while all she had was a broken ship, an unruly crew, and new scars… She wanted to kick something. Preferably something with huge, fake boobs and collagen injected lips.

But Alenko kept _talking_. "It took very little time for Diana and I to realize we didn't love each other. My heart was never whole, and Allers was never meant for monogamy… But we stayed together for Sam's sake, till everything fell apart once he grew up and moved away."

"What does he do now? Is he an Alliance man?"

"No, he is so different from me! He is just so normal." Alenko smiled. "He doesn't have a reckless bone in his body - or any biotics. He's an accountant on Terra Nova."

_"Nash, come in. Nash, where the hell are you?"_

That must be the emergency transmission, since all other channels were off… Nash tapped into the line. "I read you Tiny, what's wrong?"

_"Trouble! Someone's assaulting the ship. Defenses are active but I can't do much on my own…"_

Nash pictured her pilot trying to shoot at intruders from his chair, then winced. "Where's the rest of the crew?"

_"Tinea and Sidonis are still out. Murphy is below deck somewhere_."

"Recall everyone. I'm coming as fast as I can. Try and hold out."

_"Gotcha."_

Nash faced Alenko. "We've got trouble. Got any speed left in those aged feet of yours?"

"You'll just have to see!"


	10. Chapter 10

As they sprinted down stairs and across busy walkways, it was all Kaidan could do to suppress a sigh of annoyance. He was all set to confront Nash, before she managed to turn the interrogation around. He had not planned on talking to her about his failed marriage…

How had he started talking about his son? It was so typical of that woman to deflect his questions. Shepard always played to win, even if it meant playing slightly dirty.

And now he was following her around an alien world at high speed, with the knowledge of a coming firefight. Just like old times.

"What's the plan, Nash?" He asked.

"We improvise. I assume they are after our prisoner. We just have to stop them first…"

"So run in, guns blazing, and hope everything works out?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Nash smiled at him. Kaidan felt a sharp pain in his gut.

The docking bay was empty, but Nash did not slow down. She plowed through customs and stood awkwardly still in the decontamination room.

"Greetings, Captain Nash. Scanning for discrepancies…" Said the ship's VI. The hum of the sensors was accompanied by the sound of Nash's booted toe tapping the ground. Kaidan took the moment to quiet his gasps for air, a result of the long sprint to the ship.

Though he was in better shape than most men of his age, Kaidan noticed he tired more quickly than years before. It was nothing major, but long sprints in combat armor were maybe not as easy as when he was in his prime. He glanced up. Nash was not winded in the slightest.

The airlock doors finally opened. Immediately bullets scored the hull doors behind Kaidan's head, and Nash swore somewhat creatively.

She leaped behind an empty crate. Kaidan dove behind one as well, avoiding high velocity sniper shells.

He glanced over the cover. Six assault mechs occupied the cargo hold. Their arms were trained on him and Nash.

* * *

Only six mechs were sent to take her ship? Nash was used to being underestimated since changing her name. Most of her defense was based on being underestimated, which was why she traveled without assault armor and avoided recognition for most of her deeds as a Ranger.

Still, this was just ridiculous. "Barrier!" She shouted. Without waiting for conformation, she stood and shot repeatedly. The return fire bounced harmlessly off of Alenko's biotics.

Six money shots, straight to the control chip. The mechs dropped in succession like a wave.

Alenko popped out of cover. "What if they had warp ammo equipped?"

Nash smiled. "Afterthoughts are pointless. They didn't, so my plan worked. Lets move." She shot a quick glance to the side to ensure the Tupari machine remained unperturbed by the firefight. Satisfied by the lack of bullet holes through its front, she climbed up the ladder to the next deck.

There was less cover in the crew quarters than in the cargo hold. Nash was increasingly grateful for the presence of Alenko, or at least for the presence of his biotics. He seemed to anticipate where and when Nash wanted a barrier, or a throw, before she formed the thought. As the last mech fell, comically into one of the vacant crew hammocks, Nash raced to the door of her closet of a cabin.

It was cracked open, the lock disengaged. The prisoner was gone. She kicked the door in anger, receiving in return a stubbed toe.

On the bridge, a crowd of mechs stood in front of the helm console. Tiny faced then back, his cushy chair turned away from the console with a pistol in his hand. A blue energy shield separated the pilot from the intruders. Nash raised her rifle.

After the ensuing firefight, the shield shut off. "Where did that shield come from?" Asked Nash.

"I installed it about a year ago," Tiny said, and then he shrugged. "Its my insurance that the only sticky end I meet will be of my own making."

"Bastard. The crew?"

"Sidonis and Tinea just arrived in the cargo hold. They got my emergency transmission but had farther to travel than you did."

"Murphy?"

"Taken. I have a recording of it." He punched a few buttons. The display screen was cracked in half but still functional. On the screen, Murphy hid behind a tarp in the cargo hold. Henderson and several mechs descended down the ladder from the crew deck. Before the reached the exit, Murphy leapt from cover ineptly holding a pistol. She said something and Henderson laughed. One of the mechs shocked her, and she collapsed. They carried her off the ship.

Nash flicked the screen. "Do you have audio for this?"

Tiny shook his head. "It recorded, but the speaker is broken. I heard it through the comm link though. She said" he pitched his voice high and squeaky "You are in the custody of a Terminus Ranger! Do you think we would let you just walk off the ship? Henderson just laughed at her. They all departed in a waiting Kodiak."

Alenko frowned. "And you just sat here and did nothing?"

He swiveled in the chair to face Alenko. The hinges creaked in complaint. "Look here buddy, Nash pays me to fly this shit - I mean ship - and that's what I do. Daring rescues are not in my job description."

"So saving the life of one of your crewmembers was above your paygrade? That's no excuse. I don't know how things are run in the Terminus, but where I operate senior officers would be court marshaled for such behavior." Said Alenko.

"Hey, I've saved the kid's life before by my flying... Besides, how was I supposed to know she couldn't hold of Henderson and those mechs?"

"Is this some kind of joke to you?"

"Nash, tell your damn boyfriend to lay offa me…." Tiny's voice was plaintive. Nash felt bad for him, since being on the receiving end of an Alenko morality rant was always a difficult experience. Still she was too angry to feel pity for the pilot.

"Shut up." Her voice was cold. "I don't know where they've gone but we have to follow them. Prepare for takeoff."

"Any idea of where we're going, Ma'am?"

"Hell!"


End file.
